Public Interest Groups React to FCC Chair's Speech

When FCC Chairman Kevin Martin spoke here about his views on whether Comcast was blocking content from consumers by interfering with peer-to-peer traffic, he indicated the commission would look into the situation to determine if Comcast really was discriminating against certain sites or if the cable giant is within its rights to manage its network.

That prompted some public interest groups claim victory. Public Knowledge and Free Press were among the organizations pushing the FCC to investigate Comcast's actions. Last night Public Knowledge issued a statement expressing how "pleased" it is that Martin is taking the matter seriously.

"Public Knowledge is pleased to see that the Chairman and the Commission are willing to stand by their principles to protect American consumers," the group's statement said.

PK and other groups and consumer advocates, including Consumers Union, have also been pressuring the agency to crack down on companies like Verizon Wireless for blocking certain text message traffic.